A New Beginning
by cloverriot96
Summary: The aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts, and the new life that is to be led. I really suck at summaries! Rated T for now, because I don't know where I'm going with this. Mostly HarryxGinny. RxR!
1. Chapter 1

Ginny Weasley crept quietly up the stairs to the boy's dormitories. The sun streamed through the cracked glass of the windows. Below, she could make out the ruins of her precious castle. She shuddered at the previous night's events, and continued on her way.

It was a miracle that Gryffindor tower had survived the battle with nothing but a few cracks and breaks in the window treatments and some debris scattered in the common room downstairs. So much more was ruined though, and Ginny tried not to think about it.

Pushing the heavy wood door open, she scanned the dormitory for the one she was looking for. There he was, curled under the thick down blankets in the four -poster bed. The curtains hadn't even been pulled to block the sun out. The light streaked across his bruised, bloody and all around filthy face. His black hair fanned across the crisp white pillow in a tangled, sweaty and dirt mess. What surprised Ginny the most, was even though he looked like he had been through hell and back again, he still looked peaceful in sleep. His eyebrows had relaxed from the straight, angry line that they had been for hours and the rough contours of his face had smoothed. She almost didn't even had the heart to wake him, even though it had been about thirteen hours since he had disappeared from the commotion in the Great Hall.

"Harry," Ginny whispered delicately. "Wake up."

Harry turned away from her, mumbling something about it being too early. A small smile crept onto her face. For the time being, he seemed just like his old self. She bent her face closer to his, located the only spot on his cheek that wasn't dirt ridden and pressed her lips softly against him. She immediately felt him stir beneath her.

"Good morning, lazy." She grinned, pulling back as two green eyes flew open. Harry Potter looked at her and grinned before rolling over once more.

"Oh no you don't, you lazy sack of dung." Ginny laughed, grabbing a pillow from another bed, smacking him with hit. After about three smacks a hand closed around her wrist and pulled her onto the bed.

"Do that one more time and I will hex you, Ginny Weasley. I'm not afraid to do it." Harry mumbled into her hair.

"You're on Potter, I do believe I haven't bat-bogey hexed you yet." She retorted. Ginny pushed herself off of him and stood with her hands on her hips.

"I came up here for a reason. Mum's going mad trying to find you."

Harry said nothing in return. "I'm not ready to go down there yet." He said quietly. Ginny sighed. "Harry, you're going to have to go down there sometime. You can't hide in here forever. You have to face it."

Harry was quiet for a moment as he pondered this. "How are you handling everything?" He asked, looking up at her.

Ginny felt a sharp pain in her heart as memories of Fred, Tonks, Lupin and even at one point Harry, flashed through her mind. "I'm alright. It's over now, I shouldn't dwell on it." She knew he knew she was lying. But what could she do?

"I'm sorry if I scared you. I had to do it." He had sat up now, but was avoiding her eyes.

A wave of fury ripped through her. "You have no idea what everyone went through when we saw your body. All that fighting, all the lives sacrificed- it all seemed to be for nothing when he said you were dead." She was shaking from the anger.

Harry lifted his eyes to hers. He saw in place of the innocent, warm brown eyes he was used to, eyes that had been through a lot. There was pain and loss and sadness and anger wrapped up together.

"Ginny, I had to do it. That was going to be the only way to defeat him."

Ginny's face softened for a moment. Harry saw this as an opportunity to kiss her- as he hadn't been able to in quite some time. Just as he bent towards her, she all but jumped out of his arms.

"We can't do this right now Harry, you're head's not in the right place." She quietly whispered.

"My head is fine, thank you." Said Harry.

Ginny shook her head. "No, you need time. We all do," She stood to leave. "Come down, Mum will loose it if I return without you."

It had been two weeks since the battle. Everyone who had perished had been properly buried, but most seemed to still be grieving. Ginny sat in her desk chair and stared out the window, reminiscing the days when she and Fred and George would play Quidditch in the field. Sometimes, a lone tear would escape from the corner of her eye, but she would quickly wipe it away.

Her mum was a wreck. The simplest thing that might have even remotely related to Fred sent her off the edge. Ginny had begun to talk very little around her, afraid of setting her off. George was in a right state. He never left his room, not even to eat, and rarely allowed people to talk to him. When Ginny did see him, there was no expression on his face, and nothing in his eyes.

Harry was grieving too. The losses of Lupin, Tonks and Fred had made him so reclusive, he only talked to Ron and Hermione. Ginny had barely said a word to him since they had arrived back at the Burrow. Teddy, Lupin and Tonks's son, had come for a visit a few days ago. Harry nearly broke down when he changed his hair to the pink his mother so adored. Ginny wanted to talk to him, but was slightly afraid to.

"Can I come in?" A tentative voice came from the doorway. Ginny turned and saw Hermione standing awkwardly there, looking very unsure if she should've even asked.

"Of course. This is kind of your room too." Ginny answered, stretching her arms towards the ceiling.

Hermione sat down on the edge of her bed. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. We haven't talked much since.. you know." She fiddled with a loose thread on her shirt.

"I'm about as good as I can be, given the circumstances. What about you?"

Hermione hesitated. "Obviously I'm upset. I know Fred wasn't my brother but… I loved him like one." She glanced nervously up to assess Ginny's reaction.

"I understand. Fred loved you like another sister. You and Harry both, you're both part of this family." Ginny's eyes started to water again and she looked away. She couldn't let Hermione see she was about to cry.

Hermione stood and put an arm around her. "It's okay to cry you know. You don't always have to be so tough." She whispered, stroking Ginny's hair.

Ginny leaned her head against Hermione's shoulder and sobbed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hiya everyone :) So, I'm afraid this chapter isn't particularly good.. but reviews are appreciated :) Oh, and I don't own any of the HP world, no matter how much I wish I did :/ Enjoy!**

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><p>It was a beautiful day. The sky sat cloudless and blue, and a breeze lifted the leaves off trees. The sun sat high, but it wasn't too hot out. It had been a month since Hogwarts, and Ginny found herself missing Quidditch.<p>

She walked up to the third floor landing, where Ron and Harry's room was, and pushed the door open. Ron was snoring loudly, but Harry, though still lying in bed, was wide awake. He stared at Ginny as she crept over to his bed.

"Get out of bed, we're going to go play Quidditch." She whispered, unable to contain the grin that was spreading across her face.

Harry stared back at her. "Now?"

"Yes now. Now, get up before I drag you out." She stood.

"Gin, I haven't got a broom. I lost the Firebolt ages ago." Harry said, a pang of sadness flowing through him as he thought of his favorite, lost racing broom.

"Yes you do have one. You're going to steal Ron's." She said defiantly.

"Steal… Ron's? Ginny, if he found out, he'd kill me." Harry pleaded, but Ginny was already shaking her head.

"Harry. You've known Ron since you were eleven. You should know by now that that boy never wakes up before two in the afternoon. That gives us three hours." She said, smirking. "I'll see you downstairs in five."

She tiptoed out of the room, feeling rather accomplished. Harry stared after her, and felt a smile working its way onto his face. _Alright_ _then_, he thought, _Quidditch_.

Five minutes later, Ginny was picking the lock on the broomshed. Harry had offered to use alohamora, but she declined, saying George had taught her this muggle trick. "I've found it rather useful." She answered simply.

The door swung open, and in it was Ginny's broom, and Ron's Comet Two-Sixty.

"Wait, Ginny, how are we going to play Quidditch with two people?" Harry asked, taking the broom she handed to him.

She looked puzzled for a moment. "You know, I didn't really think about that. But, I did nick a snitch, so we can always play with that." She said, taking a small gold ball from a case next to George's broom.

They mounted their brooms and kicked off from the ground. The wind blew lightly in their faces, and the brooms moved with ease. Harry did however, find himself sorely missing his Firebolt. Ron's Comet was good, but not quite as fast as his once was.

"See anything yet, Potter?" Ginny called teasingly from about ten feet to his right.

"No Weasley, but I wouldn't let you know if I had, would I?" He shot back, laughing as she stuck her tongue out at him. A flutter of happiness wormed is way through his stomach. He had forgotten how easy and happy it was to simply be with Ginny.

They flew lazily around for sometime, before Ginny shot into a dive. Harry followed her in pursuit, now seeing the flint of gold about five feet from her outstretched hand. He willed the broom to go faster, though it did not. He reached his arm out and managed to swipe it away from the tips of her fingers. She let out a groan, and landed her broom.

"I guess I forgot what a bloody good seeker you are." She said ruefully, eyeing the fluttering snitch in Harry's hand. He grinned back at her, and released it, letting it fly about two feet away before catching it again. Ginny playfully glared at him.

"Just you wait, Potter, one day, I'll catch that snitch right out from under your nose." She growled, smiling in spite of herself.

Harry grinned. "You mean, like I did today?" He asked in mock seriousness. She threw a small pebble at his head with perfect aim.

The had put the brooms back in the shed and walked back towards the house only to see Ron glaring at the two of them.

"And where the bloody hell have you two been?" He said irritably, glaring from Harry to Ginny and back.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Oh Ron, we've only been snogging for the last three hours, no big deal." She said sarcastically. Ron's face glowed purple.

"If either of you ever-" He began, only to be cut off by Ginny.

"For goodness sake Ron! We were just out playing with the snitch! Give it a rest!" Ginny snapped, narrowing her eyes in a dead on Molly Weasley way. She stomped past him back into the house.

Ron turned to Harry. "So… you two weren't snogging then?" He asked, looking at him incredulously.

Harry dug is nails into his palm to keep the smirk off his face. "Nah, mate. We were playing with the snitch." And he walked past Ron.

Hours later, everyone had gathered around the table for supper. Over the past few weeks, George had slowly started to make an appearance at the table. Everyone was happy he was back, but careful to choose subjects that wouldn't remind him of Fred.

"So, I'm sure I want to go back for my N.E.W.T.'s," Hermione was saying to Ginny, over shepard's pie. "I just think that completing my education will do me good for later."

Ginny nodded, and saw Ron and Harry exchange a glance across the table. She knew that they wouldn't go back- but it was best not to bring it up now.

"What are you thinking of doing, Hermione?" Ginny asked, picking at her pie.

Hermione thought about this for a moment. "Well, I would really like to do something to make a difference. I've said I would like to take S.P.E.W further, so that might be what I try and do." She answered thoughtfully. Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny could see Ron roll his eyes, but look at Hermione admiringly. It was sad that it took him so long to realize he was head over heels for her.

Harry caught Ginny's eye and winked. Ginny couldn't help that her cheeks heated up a bit, and quickly looked away. She had been thinking a lot lately about possibly resuming her relationship with Harry, and frequently wondered if he had as well. They had shared a kiss during the battle- that had to mean something, right?

"Ginny, are you listening to me?" Hermione's voice snapped her back into reality. Hermione and the rest of the table were staring at her. Embaressed, she paid full attention to Hermione's take on S.P.E.W for the rest of the meal. Once everyone had deemed themselves past the full stage, she helped her mother clear the table, and retreated to her room.

She sat on her bed for a bit. She wanted to talk to Harry- she needed to know if things could work. The moon shone brightly through her window, and the hours passed on with her debating whether or not to go and talk to him. Finally, at around midnight, she managed to pull herself off her bed and creep upstairs to the boys' room.

"Harry?" She whispered, pushing the door open. No one was in the room. She looked around, puzzled. Well damn. She thought. She could always check out in the garden- but she highly doubted he would be there…

But he was. His back was turned to her, and he seemed to be gazing up at the moon. She moved fluidly behind him, and wound her hand around his. He jumped, startled, but settled down when concluding it was only her.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" She asked, gazing at the beautiful silver orb in the sky.

Harry nodded. "It reminds me of the old me. Strange as that sounds, I feel like myself again."

Ginny squeezed his hand lightly. "You are still you. You've faced things none of us could even dream of. You're still sane."

Harry was shaking his head. "I'm not me anymore. I don't think I will ever be the same. I know I can move on, but I won't be the same person I was."

"Harry, you can be you again. You will move on. You will be happy again. But you will have to let people in." She said gently.

Harry didn't respond right away. "Will you help me?" He almost whispered.

Ginny looked up at him, a small smile on her beautiful face. She pulled Harry towards her and kissed him ever so lightly. "That's my answer."

Harry kissed her back, feeling that familiar hungry burn in his chest for more. She broke away from him and rested her head on his shoulder.

She would help him get there.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello people! So, it's been a bit since I updated, and this chapter might be rubbish so I'm apologizing in advance. Reviews are welcome though!**

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><p>It was late June. The pain of the battle had dulled to an almost bearable ache. People seemed to be starting to return to their old routines. Mr. Weasley had started going back to the Ministry, stating that things were definitely on the mend with Kingsley at Minister. There was even talk that George would return to the joke shop. Though it would be a few weeks before he did so. Even Harry was becoming somewhat of an echo of himself. Though Ginny was sure that with more time, he'd become whole again.<p>

Ginny opened one sleepy eye, but her vision was obscured by a silhouette standing in front of her. Opening the other eye, she gazed up at Hermione, and she jumped out of bed.

"Bloody hell, Hermione! You scared the life out of me!" Ginny accused, glaring at her best friend.

Hermione grinned sheepishly. "Sorry Gin, your mum wanted me to tell you lunch is on the table and she's leaving to Diagon Alley. Ron and I are going with her." Hermione had almost a look of knowing in her brown eyes.

"And Harry?"

Hermione smirked. "He's staying here." Ginny felt a flutter of excitement flutter through her. She had the whole house to herself and Harry for a good few hours.

"Alright then. See you later." Ginny shifted, subtly indicating that she would like Hermione to leave.

A few moments later, she heard the cracks of disapparation, and skipped down the stairs to Harry's room. Without bothering to knock, she flung the door open, catching Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, in nothing but a pair of boxers.

"Ginny! What in the world are you-" Harry was cut off by Ginny's lips pressing urgently to his. He responded enthusiastically, tangling his fingers in her long, sweet smelling hair.

"Everyone's gone. It's just us here." Ginny breathed, a wide smile dancing on her cheeks.

Harry's eyes brightened. "I thought I'd never see the day when we were here alone."

Ginny giggled. "My, Mr. Potter, I must say, you shirtless is a rather fine-" Ginny's voice faltered as her eyes landed on the lighting shaped scar and oval scar that rested on his chest. Her throat closed up, as she reached her hand up, and traced the lightening one, ever so lightly.

Harry's calloused hand rested on her cheek, and when Ginny looked up, his bright green eyes were smoldering. So much emotion flowed between the two of them.

"Is that where…?" Ginny asked in an uncharacteristically high voice. Her eyes searched Harry's face, looking for some explanation.

He caressed her face with one hand, keeping his other arm wound tightly around her waist. "Yes."

She cringed. "I wish… I wish you could've known what it was like… seeing you like that…" She shuddered.

Harry tightened his grip. "Every time I closed my eyes, I saw you like that… Before it happened… I thought of you. You popped into my mind." Ginny felt tears cloud her eyes. She kissed both scars ever so lightly, before pressing her face into his chest.

"You're bruised and a bit scarred yourself." Harry said softly, tracing a small bruise on her hand.

Ginny tensed. "This past year at Hogwarts… was awful. I don't know what Neville told you Harry, but you can't even begin to imagine…"

Harry gently placed his hand under her chin, and pulled her face up. "What did they do to you, Ginny?" She couldn't help it as the tears spilled over.

"I-I c-can't tell you t-that H-Harry." She sobbed, trying to turn away from him. Harry backed her into the wall, trapping her there. "What. Did. They. Do?"

Ginny cringed into the wall. "Don't do anything to me Harry." She whispered. Harry's arms fell slack as he stared brokenly at the girl he loved. He was supposed to make her feel safe, and he was making her think he might harm her.

"Ginny… I'm… so sorry. I'd never hurt you." He avoided her eyes, and turned to leave.

"No! Harry, don't go!" She grabbed his hand firmly, keeping him there. "I will explain. You have the right to know." Harry turned back to her. Ginny blushed a bit, before lowering her arms to remove her tank top.

Harry stared in awe at her. The hormonal part of him wouldn't let him forget that she was standing there in just her bra. The human side of him was appalled to see the scars and bruises that covered her entire torso. The worst scar, and ugly red, was right between her breasts.

"You know the Carrows were in charge of punishment. They especially liked punishing those who were members to Dumbledore's Army, or just in league with you. It got worse after Luna was taken." Ginny began. Harry was tracing the scars that streaked over her stomach, making her shudder lightly.

"I mouthed off to them. During one Muggle Studies, Alecto was getting on my nerves, talking about how filthy they were. I told her that if an ancestor hadn't married a muggle, then she wouldn't be standing here today. I got double detention for that one. And I got this." She gestured to two thin scars that criss crossed over one another on her ribs. She continued on and on until she got to the worst scar. "I told them that you were the bravest, kindest man I knew. And that you were going to bring down their precious Lord, and send both their arses' to Azkaban." She said quietly. "They poured hot oil from the lamps on me… and then used the cruciatus." Ginny finished, her voice cracking a little. Harry stared at her, and her scars.

"Words can't even describe… how sorry I am…. And how angry I am.." He said, his jaw clenching on the last part. He glanced at Ginny, and saw even though she had to recount the awful things that had happened to her, he saw that she was still strong. The glint in her eyes suggested that she was as much a survivor as he, and that she was going to grow from it.

He crossed the room over to her, took her in his arms and kissed her with so much passion, the Third Wizarding War could've broken out and they wouldn't have known it. He picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist tightly. Carrying her over to his bed, he laid her down, never breaking contact with her lips. Her fingers were entwined in his hair, as he kissed down her neck, collarbone, and to the scar. He kissed that scar multiple times, goosebumps erupting on her skin every time. Eventually, he made his way down to her stomach, and kissed every scar and bruise that dotted her. When he was finished, he pulled himself back up to look her in the eye.

"I love you, Ginny." He whispered in her ear, making her shudder. She gripped his shoulders tightly.

"I love you too." She said, smiling as she looked into the sparkling green eyes of the man who had her heart.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed :)<strong>


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